Poll: Windows 8 users, are you using a 3rd party start menu?

I wanted to take an informal poll to see how many of the Windows 8 users are using a 3rd party start menu? I would also like to gauge whether the same people would still use windows 8 without a start menu replacement.

No
I will not downgrade any of my Windows Vista or Windows 7 computers to Windows 8 !
SO am not using Windows 8 anymore and will not downgrade to it when it comes out at any price.
I have bought every version of windows so for starting with 3.1 or was it 3.0 not sure on that .
BUT i am going to pass on 8 for sure
I would use Linux if THE Windows 8-9 line is the last version of windows!!!
Jerry W.

I have been using Start Menu in W7 very seldomly anyway, and with Start Screen is almost the same...almost, but being able to quickly review new emails, news etc. is a bonus. Not to mention the incredibly fast booting...

Yes there is only one way. Request an admin to edit it for you. You can ask Brink.

I don't know what you want to edit, just a suggestion from me: You have made it a private poll where we can't see who has voted for what. You might want to change that to public poll so we may know which member has voted for what.

Regarding the topic: There is no point of running Windows 8 and make it function like Windows 7. Doesn't make sense. I absolutely love the way Windows 8 is and the start screen and the question of a start menu just doesn't arise.

Thus far for testing and eval, have only used a start menu replacement to see what they offered. Wanted to get familiar with and use Windows 8 as intended to be used.

Would guess that if Windows 8 became my OS on my primary boxes, I would most likely add start menu support if nothing more than to see the hierachy of apps. Most things would be just pinned to my taskbar in the classic desktop as it is in Windows 7.

Yes there is only one way. Request an admin to edit it for you. You can ask Brink.

I don't know what you want to edit, just a suggestion from me: You have made it a private poll where we can't see who has voted for what. You might want to change that to public poll so we may know which member has voted for what.

Regarding the topic: There is no point of running Windows 8 and make it function like Windows 7. Doesn't make sense. I absolutely love the way Windows 8 is and the start screen and the question of a start menu just doesn't arise.

Thanks for the info on editing the poll. I just wanted to change the wording of the second question. Not a big deal. As for making the poll public, I see no reason to do that.

I am only using Windows 8 on a VM at the moment for research and development purposes and to see what can be customized, I currently make Windows 7 visual styles and one of my favorite parts of making a visual style is the start menu as it has the least amount of limitations and allows more creativeness, so for my fans I have found the best solution to bring back the start menu so far and that is StartIsBack, this is not a start menu replacement, it actually adds code back in to bring back the native start menu in Windows 8 but with added functionality.

The developer has actually found a way to keep both the fully functional start screen (Modern UI) as well as the Desktop start menu, and whats better is that when on the start screen, which is not loaded at startup, has only your modern UI full screen apps shown and when in your desktop your normal start menu is only for your desktop programs, this separation gives you a beautiful looking start screen with only your fully supported modern UI apps and tiles, it's clutter free from anything you would run on your desktop.

Also because this is the native start menu that was taken out, it has the full functionality that people are used to in Windows 7 but also adds support to have your own custom start button and also adds support to have transparency enabled or disabled for the start menu and taskbar.

There are also other Modern UI options to disable hot spots on the desktop if you prefer to have a more native desktop experience and custom options to invoke the start screen (Modern UI)

So instead of trying to disable metro this is a more unified approach and from what I have seen so far a much better approach and less alienating for the average user.

I would also like to mention that this does not add any system files from Windows 7 and is not some sort of hack, this just brings back what MS tried to take out, it does not use any more processes, it doesn't use extra memory, it is fully stable even in it's current beta 3 stage and when finished will have a complete no fuss installer, this developer initially started off with a project that did use the explorer.exe from Windows 7 that he provided for free but has decided that StartIsBack will not be, at the moment there is no talk of price and the current beta is time bombed, it doesn't have any installer at the moment either but is fairly simple to install or uninstall.

My advice would be to try it if you can, don't be so sure that what MS wants us all to conform to is the only or best solution, inform yourself and see if there could have been a better implementation of the Modern UI that doesn't make the average user feel confused or stupid.

This poll is interesting to me, but it doesn't substantively or clearly get at what I'd most like to know in relation to having a desktop start menu and our proclivities to accept Windows 8 in a post-purchase, Windows 8 in-use environment. In conducting this poll, I am trying to get at the...

With all the hub bub about the missing Start Menu in Windows 8, I though I'd pose this simple question?
If Windows 8 had the start menu would you be more inclined to accept it? To clarify, if Windows 8 had a Start menu included from factory (no 3rd party apps)

I work at a university with computer labs. I am wanting to deploy Windows 8 in my labs. The problem is that it isn't familiar to the average person. I would like to place common tiles on the Metro Start for all users. This is a domain environment. It is simple to place these apps on the desktop for...